London’s Finest Victorian Architecture

As a city dating back to Roman times and now home to nearly nine million people, London has an extraordinarily broad array of architectural styles. From its greatest surviving medieval buildings to the 21st century skyscrapers nicknamed after kitchen accessories and pickles, the metropolitan built environment is nothing if not eclectic.

Even so, there are some styles that just stand out. This includes not just the dominance of Regency and Georgian architecture in central and inner west London, but also many fine Victorian buildings.

This period of London’s history saw rapid growth, with the 19th century as a whole seeing the capital’s population rising from around one million to six million. London also became a better connected city in various ways, from the advent of the London Underground to the creation of an extensive sewerage system, which is only now being supplemented.   

For many visitors, the most notable aspect of this is some of the very famous buildings that emerged in that period.  Buckingham Palace was already a royal residence, but it was Queen Victoria who had it expanded and upgraded into the building we see today.

The monarch also formally opened the Italianate Royal Albert Hall in 1871, as well as laying the foundation stone for the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1899.

To these may be added many more great Victorian buildings across London:  The Pavilion at the Oval cricket ground, the adjacent railway stations at Kings Cross and St Pancras, the Natural History Museum and Tower Bridge, to name just some.

Yet amid all these were vast numbers of Victorian homes, built to house that booming 19th century population. Your own property may be one, featuring the distinctive Victorian coving that signifies the era. If it needs maintenance, our skilled staff are experts in making it good as new.

Of course, not every great London building from the Victorian era survives; the Crystal Palace burned down in 1936 and many homes and major buildings were destroyed or damaged during the Blitz. But with some skilled craftwork, you can make sure the distinctive Victorian features of your home survive for generations to come.